Chapter 78 - Emperor.

After all those battles everyone started to back away because this is still a war and the two monsters in the sky are still alive, but more importantly, they don't want to be responsible for these events.

Explosions, light in the sky, colossal dragons, and even the whole clash between the two magics. Nobody wants to be responsible for this and get chased by the magic association and church.

So, everyone started to call it a day and back away from the crime scene called Fuyuki city.

However, like always, someone needs to take the blame and that person was having an internal conflict now.

Rin was feeling very unlucky now as she was staring at her command seals while thinking how she would explain this? This passed the scope of the magecraft crazy experiment excuse that everyone uses these days.

Looking at her expression, Archer was able to read her easily as he turned his head away and avoided eye contact.

{Sorry, Rin. But these are Beasts and Grand we are talking about. They don't play according to the rules} Archer imagined Rin's panic when she tried to explain today before the church begin to erase everyone's memories as an idea popped in his head.

{Church? Doesn't mean they'll also go to the priest(Kirei)?} Suddenly, Archer felt some joy which made him wonder if he should have a moment of silence for his Master or laugh at Kirei.

"Finally it ended, this level of activity is too much for a small magus like me" Merlin put his hand on his c.h.e.s.t as he breathed a sigh of relief after everything ended.

"No, I think this is just the beginning" Ritsuka looked at Merlin's flower field disappearing as she said the cruel truth.

"Why do you have to hurt me like this?" Merlin looked at Ritsuka with blank eyes as even the magus of flowers was gloomy now.

"Wait, what do you mean it's just the beginning?" Rin was one step away from grabbing Ritsuka's collar and shaking her, but she preferred to keep her life.

"Hey, Archer this can't be true, right?" Rin turned to Archer that only avoided her eye contact which made her feel that the world became grey and everything ruined.

"Of course, it's only the start!!" A voice was heard from above before Nero did a flip in the air and landed gracefully on the ground.

"The battle between heroes, the clash between eras, and the stage of the Holy Grail War is still filled with surprises" Nero did her exaggerated poses before she smiled and said " This is so fun, even if it get annoying when they run"

"I know it's the best strategy for now and they won't just sit down and die, but it's still frustrating" Nero stabbed her sword on the ground as she was slightly displeased about this situation.

Everyone looked at her as each one of them had a different opinion. Merlin nodded as he felt that he should have taken Excalibur faster, Ritsuka didn't understand how these people talk about serious things with this relaxed attitude, Rin was having another breakdown, and Archer didn't care, although he also hated when they ran away.

"Tell me about it" Suddenly, another voice was heard as the area glitched like a video game, which made Ritsuka and Rin wipe their eyes to confirm that it's real.

Leo appeared from the glitched area as his look changed slightly. His clothes were slightly messy and burned and he lost his monocle. He was floating above the ground slightly, but when they looked at him they felt he's slightly blurry for some reason.

However, the servants around were able to see King Crimson behind Leo as they had one thought in their heads… Why is that spirit looking so angry?.

Even Archer felt wrong when King Crimson two faces and four eyes were staring at him, but little they knew… King Crimson is always triggered.

"I announce that I hate all Casters with Grand names next to them, and I'll change my class to Rider after this is over" Leo said as his face showed the same frustration as Nero.

"Hey! That's a false accusation! We Casters are the best this world could offer!!" Merlin felt the pride of Casters was attacked.

"We, who hold the Clairvoyance of EX rank, always help the world when it's in need!" Merlin said broadly while Leo looked at him with a blank expression before replying " Then why do you solve them in a completely chaotic way?"

"Because… It wouldn't be fun otherwise, right?" Merlin said with a proud face before a while light flashed and stepped on his face.

Fou appeared from nowhere before he did a backflip from Merlin's face and landed on Ritsuka's shoulder.

"You feral beast, did you forget all the years I took care of you?!" Merlin held his face which was hurting from Fou's claws before he screamed.

"Fou!" Fou turned his head away as he didn't want to talk to Merlin, but he noticed that Ritsuka was slightly stiff.

"Fou~" Fou tilted his head while tapping Ritsuka's face which made her flinch before she said " Ah! I'm okay, Fou, thank you"

Fou was still confused, but he didn't feel anything as a Beast and Ritsuka's shoulder relaxed now.

{He told her, huh} Leo glanced at Ritsuka's reaction when Fou landed on her shoulder before he looked at Merlin, but he didn't say anything.

"Oh~ My Praetor came back from his battle, allow me to congratulate you on your splendid fight" Nero said as he moved closer to Leo, but he only floated away.

Nero blinked her eyes before she took another step and Leo floated away, soon the steps turned into a run as Nero was chasing Leo.

"Why are you running from me?!" Nero said as she almost took her sword to force Leo to stop.

"For your own safety" Leo said calmly as the chase continued while everyone was watching with a blank face. Even Rin wondered if this is the scary guy from earlier.

However, when Leo dodged Nero again, a gravel fell from the building where Nero and Assassin were fighting and reached Leo. It didn't even last an instant before it became ashes.

"I told you to stop" Leo sighed before he moved away from Nero and said " I'm not in my best condition now"

"Hm? Are you stuck in a different era or a time axis?" Merlin looked at Leo's condition before he said " That era isn't pretty at all, huh."

"Yeah, it's not…" Leo didn't want to talk about it before he said " It'll be fixed soon, just don't touch me or prepare to be sent into an era of death"

With great power always come consequences, especially in this world. When using his Noble Phantasm to accelerate time into the land of steel, Leo's body accelerates as well because he is connected to VI, so he can use the blue flames in close combat. However, this usage makes the perception of time about him completely chaotic, so he needs some time for this effect to be gone.

King Crimson's ability to erase time is also good to lower the effect and make it pass quickly, so Leo kept him active.

"So, don't get close to me and especially yo-...." Leo didn't finish his words before Nero took his hand and held it.

"......" Leo looked at his hand being held by Nero before raising his head and staring at Nero's smug face.

"It seems you are still underestimating me, Praetor, but I, Nero Claudius, is byou-... ouch!" Nero wanted to brag about that time or eras can't separate her and her Praetor before she took a hand knife to the head by Leo.

"Don't try to be proud of this. I know you're using the Seven Crowns" Leo looked at Nero closer before he said " Don't you know how much effect it's causing on you?"

When the first attack happened, Merlin helped the people around first and Nero did nothing, even if she was called a tyrant and cruel in history, but Nero isn't the type to stand and let people die.

However, the seven crowns are something from the Evil of Humanity and Nero is already changing, which makes Leo worried a little because she shouldn't hold them, and now she's using them just to not be affected by him time axis.

"It's already changing you. The seven sins on that crown aren't some-" However, another interrupting happened to Leo as Nero said " Rejected!!"

"Praetor seems to have a bad habit of pushing everything on himself which isn't good at all!!" Nero grabbed Leo hand tightly before she said " I'm the Emperor of Rome, and an Emperor doesn't need help, so you don't have to be worried about it, My Praetor. I can carry what this history has to offer me"

"History has put a black shade on us, yet we aren't ashamed, which is very wonderful'' Nero smiled very brightly as she narrowed her eyes.

"And… Doesn't the Praetor think it's impossible for the Emperor to leave his empire?" Nero raised Leo's hand and put it on her cheek before she said " So, I'll carry this crown and you'll be stuck with me no matter how you try to deny it"

Leo is Beast Vi and he is also called the Beast of Babylon, which is also the name of Rome. Nero meant that he's her empire, so how could an emperor leave his empire?. And if Leo is holding the Ten Crowns, how could she be weak just from Seven?.

"..." Leo stared at Nero's smug face for a while before he raised his hand and hit her with another hand knife, but Nero felt this hit was very light. She even felt lighter in her Spirit Origin before she knew what happened. Leo just took some of her burden of sins, which come from the Seven crowns to himself.

"Hand" However, before Nero said anything, Leo raised his other hand toward Nero.

"Eh?" Nero didn't understand what was going on, but she raised her hand subconsciously, which made Leo more silent because she did it like she had 100% trust in him.

"Look here and follow me using your Imperial Privilege. You need to alter your spirit origin in this way to make the mana flow better and…" Leo started to say a lot of complicated stuff about spirits origins of servants and how to transform it in a way that lower the burden from the Seven Crowns.

"Hmm~~" Nero puffed her cheeks slightly before she said " You're unfair, Praetor, to do such a sneak attack"

"Do you want to know how to keep those Crowns in check or not?" Leo seemed to be annoyed for some reason which made a smug expression on Nero's face before she said "Umu! Only if my Praetor was teaching me"

"....." Leo's eyebrow was twitching before he took a deep breath and started teaching Nero, who had a huge smile on her face while holding his hand.

Everyone was looking at this exchange as some felt hurt and others felt weird.

{She's good} Merlin had to admit Nero's natural skills in opening hearts, even if she had a quest item(Seven Crowns) to help her.

"..." Ritsuka looked at this as she didn't know what to feel about something called the Evil of Humanity acting like this while patting Fou, which is also an Evil of Humanity.

"...." Archer felt this Holy Grail War is getting weirder and weirder while looking around the place.

Rin held her head as she didn't understand anymore. Servants were flirting in front of her after they almost destroyed the world.

All in all, they can only agree that this Holy Grail War is very weird.